By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The new wave of quarterbacks is as rapid as ever. Notjustagame breaks down the top ten quarterbacks that are either in their rookie season or upcoming second season. From a fantasy standpoint these are the quarterbacks of the future for your keeper dynasty leagues. Of this crop of quarterbacks who will end up being the Cade McNown, Akili Smith’s, or Tim Couch’s?

Just like in the NFL, fantasy football is a win now mentality. Here is who will reign in their class of quarterbacks in 2012.

1. Cam Newton- Newton is a top fantasy quarterback let alone in a class of first and second year quarterbacks. Questions regarding his pocket presence and ability to read pro defenses were squashed quickly last year. Let downs do not happen after a year like Newton had last year. He should only improve and get better.

2. Andrew Luck- The hype of Luck being the best quarterback to come out since John Elway is going to surpass Tim Tebow’s daily ten minute media segment. I’ll take that. Luck is actually performing well to garner proper attention.

3. Andy Dalton- Dalton has one of the top young playmaking receivers in the league in AJ Green, and a solid tight end in Jermaine Gresham. He is not going to light it up every week, but Dalton has quarterback smarts. He won’t kill you repeatedly with turnovers and makes just enough plays to have solid fantasy value. For this year he sits in the top three, but there are rookies from this class that will likely pass him soon.

4. Robert Griffin III- RG3 is going to get the love of the NFC East division this year. The NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles have solid defenses with well known pass rushers. Welcome to the NFL.

5. Blaine Gabbert- Before the preseason, you probably would not of found many fantasy football leagues were Gabbert even was drafted. The stock meter on Gabbert has changed to the watch list. Deservedly so as he looks like a transformed quarterback. Keeper league value and fantasy backup value are suddenly tied with Gabbert’s name.

6. Brandon Weeden- Weeden comes in being drafted by the Browns with expectations of starting from day one. That’s true support from a franchise that could of signed a free agent veteran instead. Weeden is a big quarterback that should play more like his age instead of his amount of time in the NFL.

7. Jake Locker- Like a pitcher in the MLB or an NBA D-League call up that gets an opportunity, good things tend to happen with an opportunity suddenly. Last year Locker had semi success filling in for an injured Hasselbeck. With the pitchers and D-league call ups, the rise usually comes down fairly quickly once teams can scout and realize your weaknesses. Locker is going to experience that this season and will struggle like a rookie in his second season.

8. Christian Ponder- Ponder sure hopes that AP will not be rushed back and is healthy. If not Ponder not only will have one of the bottom ten receiver sets but also one of the worst backfields. Not a combination you want to have as a second year quarterback. The elusiveness he showcased last year will change rather quickly if he starts taking a beating.

9. Ryan Tannehill- He has the familiarity with the offensive system but Tannehill is going to struggle the most of anyone. His fantasy value is about as high as Kevin Kolb right now.

10. Russell Wilson- One thing about head coach Pete Carrol, he is not afraid to make changes. With the way Russell has performed this situation could turn very similar to the Arizona Cardinals. Though Seattle paid a hefty price for Flynn, Wilson could find his way onto the field sooner than later.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There comes a time when even the best regress. Keeping a unit together is hard to do in the NFL because of a number of things. Free agency is the main culprit but also because teams have to rotate in new players to keep the same aggression and coaches principles together.

The first thing that pops into your head when you think of the Baltimore Ravens is their defense. Preseason allows room for error and to improve on necessary issues. Through the first two games of the preseason, Baltimore has to be very concerned about their defense.

Sure there have been games that any team can be susceptible in an area. If teams are able to find a glaring weakness in the Ravens it’s going to be their secondary. Atlanta and Detroit discovered that in limited action with their starters the first two games. Week one of the preseason, Matt Ryan threw for over 155 yards and a touchdown. Nearly 110 yards of those went to stud wideout Julio Jones who also caught the lone touchdown pass of Matt Ryan’s.

Just yesterday Matthew Stafford had a very similar performance. He threw for even more yardage at 184 yards with two touchdowns. Calvin Johnson had 111 of those yards with a touchdown. The fact that both Stafford who only played in four series, and Matt Ryan saw limited action is alarming. There is still two preseason games left, but truly after week three of the preseason that will be the main action left for the starters.

Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson are two of the top receivers in football, but corrections have to be made quickly in Baltimore.

Lardarius Webb is a flash and burn type of cornerback. He will make up for the plays he gets beat on typically. Where the Ravens need help is at right cornerback. Jimmy Smith last years high draft pick is currently behind Cary Smith at corner. Even more veteran safeties Bernard Pollard and Ed Reed will need to remain the backbone of this secondary.

Ed Reed made comments that he wasn’t even sure if he had football left in him anymore. Contemplation in the off-season for him went beyond the usual time frame. He needs to be 100 percent ready for this team and play like the Ed Reed we all have come to see on Sundays. He is the type of player that can get subpar talent to play at a higher level because they feed off of him.

Obviously that has not been the case the first two preseason games. With relentless pass rusher Terrel Suggs out for most of the season, this secondary is going to have to be a strong point. The defense may not be as strong as we are use to seeing, which is why we like Joe Flacco to breakout a bit this year.

by Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com
Baltimore is one of those teams that enters 2012 with a last gasp left. In the era of free agency keeping a team intact for the long haul is tough to do.Defensively veterans such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are still around. Age has not prevented them from still being team leaders. 2012 success though will not be from the play of their defense.
Offenses are too talented and can pick apart any defense, even Baltimore’s. If this team is going to get to the destination they want it will be dependant on Joe Flacco.

Flacco has been a hot and cold quarterback in his career thus far. Displaying a cannon arm, Flacco can hit the deep ball on occassion. Where he has struggled is with consistency of play. The offense may call more pass plays on a given week based on a breakout performance from Flacco the week prior. Instead of seeing some advancement from Joe, he declines and the offense stalls.
That forces the Ravens to go to a more simplistic offense. Involving Ray Rice more, doing dump off passes and limiting his down field throws. It’s puzzling to see this trend so much from Flacco because he seems ready to take hold of the league. All it takes is that one game to propel an athlete.
Has that game already occurred for Flacco? Maybe so, his heroic comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers was not only counted against, but one of the top finishes in the NFL last season. Afterwards Flacco remained as usual with his cool demeanor, but you know he was on cloud nine.
All you have to do is look at Flacco’s last three seasons of passing yards to know that Baltimore has kept him in neutral. His past three seasons of yards thrown have not varied beyond twelve yards. Throwing for 3,613 yards in 2009, 3,622 yards in 2010, and 3,610 yards last season.
Baltimore has to unleash him this season and live or die with Flacco. It’ll make Ray Rice more of a weapon, and feed the wideouts and tight ends appropriately. They have all the tools offensively to let Flacco flourish. There is no reason to hold back quarterbacks in this day and age of the NFL. The fact that Flacco threw below 200 yards seven games last year and six of those were below 175 yards is mind-boggling.
Joe thinks he is a top level quarterback and needs to start playing like it beyond a half season. With Pittsburgh having a banged up Ben Roethlisberger and uncertainty at running back, Baltimore could run away with this division.
From a fantasy standpoint Flacco currently barely cracks the top twenty in many rankins. Deservedly so based on his tenure and zero advancement from a fantasy perspective.

This year there is no reason that he can’t rise well beyond those early rankings. Landing in the top twelve to fifteen is very reachable.
Tag Flacco as your fantasy backup and you will be happy you did. He should surpass 4,000 yards finally and get near 27 to 30 touchdowns thrown.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Miami’s HBO series of Hard Knocks just had some drama enter, and it’s not from the quarterback battle. Chad Johnson who was expected to revive and have a turn around season, has been released from the team. In similar fashion as in New England, Johnson did little to nothing as a Dolphin. In one preseason game he had one dropped ball.

This has more to do with an off the field issue than Johnson’s performance on the field, but the Dolphins have moved on to a new chapter. Now it leaves the opportunity open for other receivers to shine even more.

The fact that Miami could go through three quarterbacks this season is a big enough reason to stir clear from talent. Even with Chad Henne and Matt Moore last season, Miami’s offense was not too shabby. The offense should bolster even more with head coach Tony Sparano gone and new head coach, Joe Philbin in. Miami seemed to end the season well with great use of Reggie Bush and quick hit throws with Davone Bess and Brian Hartline.

Chad Johnson was the big name amongst the receivers, but was not necessarily a sure fire result producer. Davone Bess has put together a nice string of seasons for Miami, and now is their number one receiver with Brandon Marshall gone. It’ll be seen early if Bess can handle the role or if Miami will need to use spread formations to make up for lacking a big play receiver.

Legedu Naanee currently has the third receiver position now with Johnson gone. Naanee is who he is, and can fill the third spot decently. By no means is he a sleeper wide receiver. If anything with Miami’s current top slotted receivers only Davone Bess has value. Rank Miami with the Seattle’s and St. Louis’s of fantasy football as they’re lost in the Bermuda triangle for fantasy value at receiver.

Maybe if an injury occurs and Ryan Tannehill enters by midseason a receiver buried could advance to a different level. Often times receivers develop that do not get many reps with the first team develop chemistry better with the backup quarterbacks. There won’t be a Victor Cruz on Miami but it’s worth keeping an eye on once Tannehill is inserted.

If there is an area where Miami will shine it may be with pass catching running backs. From Reggie Bush all the way to Steve Slaton Miami has four backs that could all be effective. Slaton was once a 1,000 yard rusher in Houston and likely will be a special teamer for Miami. Daniel Thomas and rookie Lamar Miller figure to get carries in some form even with how Reggie Bush concluded last season. Splitting out one while having another behind the quarterback could be a tinker they play with on many formations.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com　

There once was a time that fantasy owners could rely on drafting a rookie running back and expect solid fantasy football numbers initially. The last few years though teams have steered away from drafting running backs high in the draft. The tandem back system and new approach has made the impact of rookie running backs lower on the fantasy map.

Trent Richardson has changed that for 2012. The rookie is expected to make huge waves in season one. Will Richardson have top tier value or just be a dependable number two running back?

In Cleveland running backs have enjoyed success even if it has been short lived. From Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison, and Peyton Hillis. Cleveland has done quite the shuffling at running back, which was one of the main reasons they decided to draft Richardson. To end their quest to find a back for a year to year basis.

Lets compare Peyton Hillis and Trent Richardson. Hillis is a bruiser type back more in the old mold of Mike Alstott. He went from being a short yardage back in 2010 to the feature back that relished the role. His versatility with the ball just was not there, as he is a straight north and south runner. Blame the madden curse, but Hillis needed a new environment after a publicized battle last season with the Browns.

In 2010 though Hillis was a fantasy gem, rushing for over 1100 yards and eleven touchdowns that year. That amount of touchdowns came without any scores the last five weeks of the season.

Richardson comes from the storied history of Alabama, and is a pontifical every down running back. Wearing down as the season stretches is a concern for rookies at any position. Ignore that factor with Richardson. He is built like a truck and barring injury will be fine for the entire season.

Cleveland’s quarterback situation will benefit Richardson as well. In the red zone when most teams would throw the football to their tight end or safety nets, the Browns will run more. Every down situations to control the game-clock will also mean more carries for Richardson. It is not wildly to anticipate Richardson to be a top ten to twelve fantasy football back in year one.

DeMarco Murray came out of nowhere last season as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys because of injuries in the backfield. With Richardson, a high draft pick, young quarterback, and a backup that poses as a non-threat in Montario Hardesty, you can assume that Richardson is undervalued.

Fantasy owners do not like to draft based on no prior results. This benefits owners even more for Richardson, especially with the track record of top backs underperforming in year one the last few seasons.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The Carolina Panthers became a talking point in the 2011 season thanks to the play of quarterback

Cam Newton. In his rookie season, Newton put up fantastic numbers and showed the potential to be an elite-level quarterback.

Another important storyline for the Panthers last season was the production they got from wide receiver Steve

Smith. Smith was considered one of the league’s best receivers in the mid- and late-2000’s, but saw his numbers fall significantly in the 2010 season. After catching 46 passes for 554 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games in the 2010 season, Smith caught 79 passes for 1,394 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2011. He returned to elite status and was fifth in the NFL in receiving yardage. With Newton at quarterback, Smith should be able to continue playing at a high level. The three-year contract extension he signed earlier in the offseason shows he will be a crucial part of the Panthers’ offense for at least the next few years.

Newton

’s arm strength should help Smith remain a big-play threat as he enters his 12^th season. Smith averaged 17.6 yards per catch last season, the second-highest total for his career in that category. Look for Smith to continue making plays over the top of the defense. He can also make plays on short-yardage routes, and his trademark toughness allows him to break tackles and gain extra yards.

Smith is not the only play-making receiver on the Panthers, which should prevent him from seeing too many double-teams. Receiver

Brandon LaFell was the Panthers’ second-leading receiver in terms of yardage with 613 yards and tight end Greg Olsen made a solid contribution with 540 yards and five touchdowns. With these weapons to throw to, Newton should continue putting up top-level numbers, as should Smith.

At

5-foot-9 and 185 lbs., his lack of size might make fantasy owners hesitant about picking him, but Smith has played in at least 14 games in every season of his career, with the exception of his 2004 season, in which he broke his leg and played in only one game. He doesn’t score as many touchdowns as you would like from your No. 1 receiver, but he gets in the end zone enough to get you points and he can complement those scores by putting up high yardage totals. Players like Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker will get the attention and be the first receivers taken in drafts, so Smith should be available for you to select after the bigger-name guys are off the board.

Smith’s remaining years in the league should be very productive. With a quarterback like

Newton who showed great potential in his rookie season and the other players he has around him, Smith is a smart pick for this season.